Firefighters prevent spread of fire to gas tanks

FITCHBURG 
Firefighters quickly knocked down a three-alarm fire at 962 Main St. about 12:20 p.m. yesterday, stopping it from reaching the upholstery shop at the front of the building, contractor business in the basement and acetylene and propane tanks stored at the back of the large complex.

When firefighters arrived, there was a large black plume coming from the rear of the building used for storage, Fire Chief Kevin D. Roy said, and flames were traveling along large wooden beams in the back of the 1800s building.

Leominster, Westminster and Lunenburg responded for mutual aid. No one was injured in the blaze and the Boulder Art Gallery next door was not damaged.

The building's owner, 86-year-old William H. Fisher, who has owned Littlehale and Fisher Contractors for more than 50 years, said he was attempting to put out an engine fire in his red 1985 Chevy pickup with fire extinguishers, but fuel somehow leaking from the engine spread the fire until it was out of control.

“It wouldn't go out,” Mr. Fisher said. “I couldn't put it out.”

He said his contracting business in the basement was not damaged.

His sons Mark D. Fisher and Bruce V. Fisher said all of the fire-damaged furniture that was in storage strewn around the outside of the building after the fire belonged to the family.

The men said from the time they got a call there was a fire at their dad's business to several moments after they arrived and found him, they did not know if he was OK.

“I didn't know,” Mark Fisher said, with tears in his eyes. “I was working in Winchendon and just rushed down here.”

Off-duty Fire Capt. Tad Dateo, who was driving by and saw smoke, called 911 and tried to help Mr. Fisher get it under control with fire extinguishers.

Firefighters pulled water lines through a catwalk connecting the storage area in the back to the rest of the building to fight the blaze.

“They were able to knock it down in 30 minutes,” Chief Roy said. “It is four large buildings that could have easily went up, but they contained it quickly.”

Deputy Chief Kevin Curran said there was potential for a heavy fire load in the upholstery shop because the amount of items in the shop.

“If it had got into the upholstery shop, we would have been here for three days,” Deputy Chief Curran said.

He said firefighters were able to contain the blaze to one of the storage area in the back of the building that overhangs the Nashua River because they could “push it out” through the back of the building over the water.

“If there had been another building instead of the Nashua, we couldn't have done that,” he said.

For 25 years, Jeanne M. Gauthier has rented space in the front of the building for her business, The Recovery Room upholstery, which specializes in antiques. She said memories from a fire seven years ago in the same building rushed back at her when she saw the fire. In that fire, the apartment she was renting above the upholstery shop was destroyed.

“The landlord came up for a couple of fire extinguishers and said his truck was on fire in the back,” Ms. Gauthier said. “I went out back with (her employee Vincent Pandolph) and the whole truck was in flames.”

She said they were working on fixing up the apartment upstairs so she could move back in with her three sons.

“I lost everything in that fire,” she said from inside her car after yesterday's fire, while waiting to go inside her shop to get some personal items. The building inspector told her it would be a long time before she could reopen, she said.

“I haven't been inside yet,” she said. “I don't want to see. I am dead in the water. I can't work — I can't do anything. To me it is like, 'Where do I go from here?' ”

She said that although the fire chief said her business was spared, she was still worried because she does not have insurance.